Era of Trikes: But Are They A Good Investment?

A new type of motorcycle is on the roar down our streets. It gushes with power and fills pretty much everyone with images of a futuristic alien monster swooping down to save the day after an apocalyptic event. Its sheer power is a solid statement of intent and design. If you haven’t caught the drift, we are talking about the Slingshot, which swooped into the market just two years ago from Polaris.

Enter the father of all budget bikes

The Slingshot is a little bit surreal at first glance. It has space for two passengers and pulls in with three wheels, two at the front and one further back. No wonder they identify it as a trike in South Carolina. The entire unit is 1741 pounds heavy, has a steering wheel, a four cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. It is now available for $21,900-$27,000 at American Biker.

Even American Biker’s Rich Worley is amazed at this angular monster and the way it confidently stands tall. He thinks the design is ‘super cool’, in his own words.

The Slingshot is a maze of colors ,featuring red, blue, silver and black. According to Worley, these shades are not cut and dry; clients are now asking for customization across the board.

The cycle comes with a screaming Chevrolet engine and even better, a booming audio system that balances out all the way from the front. At the moment, clients can buy a protective top for their trikes but everyone seems intent on just soaking in the fresh outdoors while on the spin.

Just this week , American biker put out a Polaris Slingshot Reverse Trike at just a little over $25,000.The cycle has a fuel capability of 9.77 gallons, water-proof seats, highly sophisticated 3-point seat belts and the 2.4 liter engine that churns out an impressive 173 horse power.

While the Slingshot can roar down the country road at incredible speeds and notable noise levels, the engine is impressively muted as it picks up steam and seemingly makes the bike glide down the roads in a supremely agile gait. Braking and turning is an easy affair, regardless of the bends involved. The gears tend to slip a little out of position at times but the trike is essentially an all-round affair that is neither too small for a man or too muscular for a female rider. Even for someone not used to three-wheelers, this ride is comfortable.

The model from Polaris brings to mind another venerated three-wheeler in the mold of the T-rex Motorcycle. While the Slingshot is a bit of a hit at the moment, T-rex stands right up to its billing as well. If you are looking for it, you might need to delve around three times deeper in your pocket. The cost has of course been rising over the years since the Campagna Corporation started rolling them out close to three decades ago. At the moment, the price of a T-Rex 3-wheeler is around $57,000 and $65,000. A little bit over the top for some but then, the T-rex is no Slingshot.